Winter 2023 Big Adventure
I thought when I made my last entry, I was going to come back with part two and well... I didn't. So here it is.
On my Birthday, January 8, 2023, I left on my second big adventure. Another trip to Quartzite for the WRTR and RTR. I arrived early morning on the 10th. Stopped in at the WRTR for a short time and then headed out to the desert and set up camp. There is designated BLM land which is free to camp with a 14-day limit, then you need to move to a different area. I posted in one of the Women Vanlife groups on FB asking if anyone was staying out in the Plomosa Rd. area. One of the women, Cat, replied that she and her friend V were out there so they stopped by the next morning to say hi. They invited me to come to their campfire later that night.
After they left a man who was camped near me stopped by and offered me an old, popped ball that had been his dog's before he passed a few months back. He saw Bailey and Penny and thought they may like to have it. His name was Stan, and he was 93 years old!!!! He was traveling full time now in a big travel trailer with a truck. I think he had lost his wife too because he said they had traveled for years but then didn't say anything else about her and she wasn't with him. He teared up telling me about his dog. It was such a treasure to meet and talk with him.
After packing up camp I went to a class at the WRTR on tire maintenance and how to change a tire. I really needed that one. I went out to find Cat and V at their campsite way off the beaten path. deep in the desert. There I met a very interesting character named Luis of the YouTube channel Rolling Earthship. I had seen his videos before. The girls had known Luis for a while and had camped with him a bunch. He was quiet, not like his videos at all. I stayed with Cat and V and Luis for two nights then decided to head to California so I could see the Pacific Ocean.
I took my first truck stop shower at a Pilot. It was really very nice. I went to Joshua Tree National Park just off Interstate 10. It was evening and I camped on BLM land and made dinner. I forgot to bring my Senior Parks Pass and ended up buying an annual pass for $25 the next day but turns out I could have driven through and not even had one. I wanted to hike a few trails, but dogs were not allowed, even on leash. I wasn't about to leave them in the van.
Took a ride around Joshua Tree. It was so beautiful there. Then I drove through Palm Springs since it was close by. Not much to see but lot of walled and gated communities, Golf courses, fancy shops. Definitely felt out of place there. Spent another night at Joshua Tree and Bailey was sick. Really sick. I thought I may have to find an emergency vet clinic. Apparently while I was cooking dinner, she tipped over her bowl of food. I didn't notice it until I saw her eating it off the ground along with the sand and gravel it had spilled on. That night she vomited, and I figured she would be okay after she got it out of her system. She drank water but couldn't eat. I just kept watching her, but she remained lethargic and just overall puny that day as we made our way west to visit and have lunch with my niece Chrissy just outside of L.A. It was wonderful to have a delicious seafood lunch at her home and see her family. Her kids were all grown up since the last time I saw them when they visited Texas. and a pleasant surprise was her mom Sue was there. I hadn't seen her in probably 40 years, since we moved from RI. Chrissy insisted I spend the night, so I did, and she was so sweet to let me wash my bedding that Bailey had vomited on. That was a relief as I thought I would be searching for a laundromat.
Monday morning, I got up and said goodbye to my hosts and headed to Santa Monica. As soon as I saw the ocean I started to cry. It was something I had dreamed about my whole life. Oh yeah, I even cried when I crossed the border from Arizona to California. Just Two of many checks off the Bucket List. At the end of I-10 I turned north on Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway. Words cannot describe the exhilaration I felt seeing this magnificent coastline. I drove north for a bit and stopped at El Matador Beach so I could stick my tootsies in the Pacific. It was so cold and windy, I decided I would just take a picture of my hand in the water, but a wave came and got my shoes wet all the way to my ankles. I didn't care.
Baily seemed to be feeling a little better and ate a little food. I felt like she would be okay in a day or two.
We continued North until the highway started to go inland around Oxnard. I knew I wanted to go to Griffith Park and see the Hollywood sign before it got dark, so I turned around, GPS had me heading east and it was a steep winding road up a mountain. The view from near the top looking down on Malibu was breathtaking.
I got to Griffith Park but was a little disappointed that the Hollywood sign was so far away and very small looking. I actually saw a better view of it from the street on the way before heading up the steep road to the Observatory. anyway, I got some pictures and then drove along Ventura Highway to the 10 heading back to Arizona.
Spent the night at Pilot in Quartzite. That morning Baily had the "shits" it had a bunch of gravel in it. But she was still improving each day. I needed to find a laundromat as I needed clean clothes and had to wash her bed. While there I saw and spoke with Sueann from Cheap RV Living and Homes on Wheels Alliance. I was a little starstruck. She was actually the one who inspired me to want to travel the country as she started out living in a Prius.
Our FB group was to have a meetup at one of the LTVA camp areas that afternoon. I got to meet a few of the ladies from the group. Several of them had some really nice rigs. Cat was there and told me she and V had moved down by the river just south of Ehrenberg and invited me to join them. What an awesome campsite. There was a nice big fire ring. They saw a herd of wild horses come down out of the hills to cool off and get water from the river before I had arrived. Airplanes from an Airforce base flew training runs down the river. We waved at them, and they dipped their wings to us. It was so cool. At night we heard a pack of coyotes that seemed not too far off, and we heard then saw a pack of wild burros silhouetted going up a hill. We enjoyed getting to know one another around the campfire. Cat really took a liking to Penny and felt sorry for her because she always seemed to be cold, so she crocheted her a sweater. She is so sweet. Cat and V were both from Florida and had been traveling in their separate rigs since December. V had recently moved there from Colorado and according to her blog she recently moved back.
The second day there I decided to go to town for some firewood and water. On the way I punctured my right front tire on a rock. I was able to air it up a bit with my little pump, but it was coming out really fast. I called a tire shop, but they wouldn't come off pavement down the gravel road, so I got to the truck stop and filled it up then drove to another shop across the border in Blythe, California. They couldn't repair it and didn't have a tire to replace it so they put my spare on for me and I spent the night at the truck stop, went back to Blythe first thing the next morning and went to a Good Year tire shop and got a new tire.
After I filled up with water, I picked up a bunch of firewood and headed back to camp. That night I cooked grilled shrimp, chicken thighs and country style ribs to share with my friends. I wanted to cook all the frozen food I had brought as it was thawing because my fridge kept turning off.
The next morning, Friday, I left my new friends, we exchanged contact info and I still keep in touch with them. I just stayed in truck stops and arrived home Sunday afternoon. The girls were so glad to be home.
So now I'm caught up to my next trip.
In a few days I will be leaving on my next Adventure. New England by way of Natchez Trace, Great Smokie Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway and more.
And of course I am back and will report on that soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment